Social Machinery

Since many years more and more Anthropologists are studying human behavior on Internet. Cyberanthropologism is becoming increasingly important for understanding the complexity of the Homo Digitalis. 

Some months back, The british communication company Talk Talk and the University of Kent realeased a fascinating report called Digital Anthropology Report. The Six Tribes of Homo Digitalis giving some answers about our internet user behavior.  In this report, researchers asked people questions about their attitudes towards digital technology and to watch them use it.

They found that “homo digitalis” are distributed among Six Tribes with very different attitudes, usage patterns and behaviors. Some this tribes have embraced a digital lifestyle as the center of their life. In other cases, internet is still a rather frightening world.

Some of the key findings about these six digital tribes are:

Digital Extroverts (9% of Digital population):

People who are “always-on”. Most of them are active bloggers; they use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites everyday. Updating their online profile is as much their daily routine as breathing. Is also important to notice that this segment is is not only a consumer but a prodsumer. They create their content to share it and interconnect it with others. They are the cornerstone of the web 2.0 as they create and participate actively and passionate in digital world.

Timid Technophobes (23% of Digital Population).

They are the second largest group and their skills are limited to basic functions on internet. They use internet only when is really necessary. They still prefer the brick and mortar world. Sending and receiving letters and using pen and paper is their prefer way of communicating with the world.  They don’t read blogs or register on social networking  sites.

E-ager Beavers (29% digital population)

They are the largest group.  They use the internet heavily, in a more passive way. Still their behavior is more “lay back”; passively absorbing broadcasted content via internet.  This group still lack of confidence for getting involved in producing, uploading and sharing their own content.

According to the study, your willingness to embrace technology and how you integrate it into your daily life could dictate your success in life far more than your social class. As class structures change quickly the extent to which people use social networking and promote themselves online will become more important in determining their careers than what school or university they went to.

Read the study Digital Anthropology Report. The Six Tribes of Homo Digitalis